Concerns about Flock license plate reading cameras’ targeting capabilities and data use are mounting. Flock, for those just tuning in, is in a swirl of nation-wide controversy. It uses license-plate–reading cameras and AI at key intersections to collect data on every passing vehicle. This includes your vehicle, or your teen’s vehicle. Flock cameras locally are stationed in Excelsior, Greenwood and Shorewood.
“The reach of new [Flock] technology allows law enforcement to amass an astounding degree of information about individuals’ lives. The Electronic Frontier Foundation warns, ‘By matching your car to a particular time, date, and location, and then building a database of that information over time, law enforcement can learn where you work and live, what doctor you go to, which religious services you attend, and who your friends are.’ And by applying algorithms to this data, “systems can reveal regular travel patterns and predict where a driver may be in the future.”
– Leaving the Door Wide Open: Flock Surveillance Systems, University of Washington
Resident Andrew Daly first raised Flock with the mayor and Shorewood council in Sept. 2025. Daly tells SCA he has emailed the mayors of all four South Lake communities—twice—without response. He also attended the November Shorewood council meeting, where the Flock representative, police chief, and city prosecutor were “drilled.“
After a Shorewood council discussion on Dec. 8, member Michelle DiGruttolo asked again for a public follow-up on policies and review of the police action generated from the cameras before the two-year subscription renewal in January. Mayor Labadie and Administrator Marc Nevinski were not fans of the request and pushed back hard.
At the Dec.17 South Lake Police Coordinating Committee meeting, Labadie spoke freely, marginalizing critics as few “loud” voices in a city of 8,000 who somehow managed to sway “willing ears” of council members. She implied that the original letter sent by the concerned resident was “misinformation.” Police Chief Ballsrud minimized worried residents saying that the initial concerns came from YouTube videos. He suggested opposition to Flock fits a “defund the police” narrative. Labadie agreed, saying it was this misinformation that is the opinion of some of her council members. Watch the conversation at the SLMPD meeting thru the link below.
Meanwhile citizens remain in the dark on key details:
- Who’s doing the audit—and when?
- Is unused data actually deleted within the 60-day legal window?
- Are access logs complete, accurate and available to the public or wishful thinking?
- Which outside agencies (i.e. Hennepin County, FBI, and ICE) are given access to the data?
- Are basic cybersecurity standards being met?
This is not accountability—it’s dismissal. When residents raise questions about government surveillance of private vehicles, the appropriate response isn’t eye-rolling or political labeling. Even one resident asking reasonable questions deserves real answers, not opinion.
More Reading:
Join over 1,160 who have read SCAs: Flock Surveillance Cameras: What You Should Know.
Watch: South Lake Public Safety Coordinating Committee, Dec. 17, 2025
Menasha police officer accused of using license plate recognition system to track his ex, Fox 11 News, Appleton, WI
Border Patrol is Monitoring Driving Patterns, Associated Press
Sent to SCA by an anonymous reader on Jan. 3: Leaving the Door Wide Open: Flock Surveillance Systems Expose Washington Data to Immigration Enforcement
Candid conversation dismisses residents: Watch: the Flock rep and South Lake Police Chief, Nov. 2025
